If you are travelling:

• Under a single Philippine Airlines (PAL) ticket
• To multi-cities/countries with different check-in baggage allowance rules (piece or weight basis)
• via Philippine Airlines throughout the journey OR
• with Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Partner Airlines (Code Share flight)

Your Free Baggage Allowance (FBA) and other baggage charges will generally be determined by your Most Significant Carrier (MSC). Under International Air Transport Association (IATA) Resolution 302, the Marketing Carrier is generally your MSC. PAL adopts the general principles of the MSC to purely PAL connecting flights, unless otherwise specified.

How to know your Most Significant Carrier (MSC)

First, determine the IATA areas and sub-areas involved in your journey:

IATA AREAS and SUB-AREAS

AREA 1: North America, Central and South America, Hawaii

• USA, Canada, Mexico
• Caribbean
• Central America
• South America

AREA 2: Europe, Middle East

• Europe
• Middle East
• Africa

AREA 3: Asia, Guam, Southwest Pacific

• Japan, Korea
• Southeast Asia
• South Asian Subcontinent
• Southwest Pacific

STEP 1:

The first carrier that crosses one IATA area to another is your MSC.
If all sectors are via PAL, the first PAL flight crossing one IATA area to another is your “MSC” and will dictate your FBA and excess baggage rules.
Unless otherwise stated, assume that the sectors shown in the ticket are connecting and considered a single checked baggage journey.

Sample 1:

All sectors via PAL

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
SYDNEY - MANILA *	IATA Area 3 to IATA Area 3	PAL
MANILA - LONDON **	IATA Area 3 to IATA Area 2	First time PAL crosses between IATA Areas This flight is your “MSC”  Baggage for Manila - London applies

* FBA for Sydney 25 kgs

** FBA for London is 30kgs

Sample 2:

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
DUBAI - MANILA	IATA Area 2 to IATA Area 3	First time PAL crosses between IATA Areas This flight is your “MSC”  Baggage for Dubai - Manila applies
MANILA - JAKARTA	IATA Area 3 to IATA Area 3	PAL

Exception to step 1:

When travel crosses areas 1, 2, 3 in this particular order only, your MSC shall be the carrier crossing between Area 1 and Area 2.

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
LOS ANGELES - LONDON	IATA Area 1 to IATA Area 2	PARTNER AIRLINE is the carrier crossing between IATA Areas 1 & 2 and is your “MSC” Baggage for Los Angeles-London applies
LONDON - MANILA	IATA Area 2 to IATA Area 3	PAL

 

STEP 2:

For travel within an IATA area, the first carrier that crosses one IATA sub-area to another is your MSC.
If all sectors are via PAL, the first PAL flight crossing one IATA sub-area to another is your “MSC”.

All sectors via PAL

Sample 1

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
AUCKLAND - MANILA	Southwest Pacific to Southeast Asia	First time PAL crosses between IATA Sub-Areas This flight is your “MSC”  Baggage for Auckland - Manila applies
MANILA - SINGAPORE	Southeast Asia to Southeast Asia	PAL

 

Sample 2:

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
HANEDA - MANILA	Japan, Korea to Southeast Asia	First time PAL crosses  between IATA Sub-Areas This flight is your “MSC”  Baggage for Haneda - Manila applies
MANILA - BANGKOK	Southeast Asia to Southeast Asia	PAL

 

Exception to step 2 when all sectors are via PAL:

When travel is from sub-area Southeast Asia to Japan or Korea, in this particular order only, your MSC shall be the first carrier crossing the international sector.

Sample 1

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
BANGKOK - MANILA	Southeast Asia to Southeast Asia	PAL’s first leg crossing an International sector is your “MSC”  Baggage for Bangkok - Manila applies
MANILA - NAGOYA	Southeast Asia to Japan, Korea	PAL

Sample 2

 

SECTOR	IATA AREA	MARKETING CARRIER
SAIGON - MANILA	Southeast Asia to Southeast Asia	PAL’s first leg crossing an International sector is your “MSC”  Baggage for Saigon - Manila applies
MANILA - SEOUL	Southeast Asia to Japan, Korea	PAL

STEP 3:

For travel within an IATA Sub-Area, the first carrier crossing an international sector is your MSC.

All sectors via PAL

Sample 1

SECTOR WITHIN A SUB-AREA (all within Southeast Asia)	MARKETING CARRIER
CEBU - MANILA	PAL
MANILA - BEIJING	PAL’s first leg crossing an International Sector within a sub-area is your “MSC” Baggage for Manila-Beijing FBA applies

 

Exception to MSC:

Travel originating and ending in the USA or Canada:

If your itinerary is in one ticket and originates or ends in the USA or Canada, the first Marketing Carrier determines the baggage allowance and excess baggage charges that will apply for the entire journey. First marketing carriers can apply their own airline rule or those of the MSC.

If PAL is the “first marketing carrier”, PAL always applies the most significant carrier's rules, which may differ from PAL’s baggage rules. For return trips, if you travel in a different class or have different fare products in each direction (such as Business Class one way and Economy Class the other), the same carrier's rules apply but the allowances may differ as they will be based on the applicable fare types and classes of travel purchased in each direction.

Samples:

Sectors via PAL and Partner Airline

SECTOR	MARKETING CARRIER
MIAMI - LOS ANGELES	PARTNER AIRLINE As First Marketing Carrier  determines your FBA and excess baggage charges
LOS ANGELES - MANILA	PAL

SECTOR	MARKETING CARRIER
MANILA - LOS ANGELES	PAL As First Marketing Carrier  determines your FBA and excess baggage charges
LOS ANGELES - MIAMI	PARTNER AIRLINE

 

Click Excess Baggage Charge (EBC) for more information
Click Baggage Rules for more information
Click Copy Of The Itinerary Receipt Baggage for more information